Pulmonary embolism after brain hemorrhage in a hypertensive patient: the therapeutic dilemma.

Massive pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening condition to be treated with anticoagulants or even thrombolytic agents in selected cases. However, these drugs are controindicated after a recent hemorrhagic episode. We report the case of a 46-year-old patient with uncontrolled systemic hypertension who was affected by severe spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage and left hemiparesis. After some days of rehabilitation care he developed sudden dyspnea, tachycardia and hypotension secondary to bilateral pulmonary embolism. Owing to controindication to the use of thrombolytic agents, anticoagulant therapy with high-dose intravenous unfractionated heparin followed by oral warfarin was begun, with a successful and uncomplicated outcome. The therapeutic approach to similar not uncommon cases is debated and some hypotheses are made about the aetiology of pulmonary embolism in these patients.